Even Mr. Positivity himself, Jerry Jones, can’t help but admit the Dallas Cowboys will have some serious difficulties early in the season with a rookie first-round pick manning the all-important left tackle spot.
Last week, the Cowboys offensive line took a major blow when eight-time Pro Bowler Tyron Smith went down with an injury during the team’s practice. After going through a battery of tests, it was revealed that the 31-year-old had a torn hamstring and was set to miss at least a couple of months of the season.
Related: NFL Sunday Ticket – Pricing, how to buy, and its future
Despite the devastating news, the Cowboys did use their pick in the opening round of this year’s NFL draft on a Tyler Smith. A standout tackle from Tulsa they hope can man one of the tackle positions for years to come. However, along with the potential upside of a high-end prospect, there are still many drawbacks. First among those downsides is a lack of experience. Smith will be tasked with arguably the most important position on the line as he will be watching franchise quarterback Dak Prescott’s blindside. Giving many Cowboys fans concerns.
Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones on tackle situation: ‘Do I wish we had Tyron? Yes’
Since the news of Smith’s injury, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has tried to spin a positive narrative on starting a rookie at left tackle, and his confidence in what the 24th pick overall brings to the table. But, in a Friday interview with 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, Jones couldn’t help but acknowledge there will be a price to pay for the younger Smith replacing the future Hall-of-Famer. And that the Dallas offense will have to make all the adjustments necessary to assist the rookie in his NFL trial by fire.
“[Tyler’s] going to get his man, and I think he’s going to do a good job of it. Is he not going to get him all the time? Yes. We need to have somebody there to help him out, we need to keep some out, to cut some out of the offense, you need to cut it out a little bit and help him out. But I think he’ll get his man, I think he will get better. I think that’s the nature of the position and football.
“He’s got everything we hoped and more when we drafted him. That’s exactly what we drafted him for, to come in and be the left tackle. … Do I wish we had Tyron? Yes. Will we get Tyron back? Likely. But in the meantime, he’s going to come in and he’s going to get a Harvard doctorate degree in playing left tackle between now and then. Will we pay some price for it? Yes. Can we win with him paying a price? I think so, yes.”
Jerry jones on Tyler Smith [h/t PFT]
The Dallas Cowboys will begin the 2022 season in prime time on NBC when they face Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the season premiere of Sunday Night Football.